Uninvited
by Yuril
Summary: When the love of Botan's life dies, how is she to be a rock for the unstable body shared by the Kurama that quietly loves her and the Youko that would rather see her dead? Twists and Turns, Realizations and Drama ensure.
1. All Falls Down

_**Note:**_ So, this is my first attempt to make something, and it's of course Kurotan, or Botan x Kurama. I do not own Yuu Yuu or any of it's characters because if I did, well I'd simply have drawn Kurotan and made millions. I do have the rights to the plot, any original characters, and the story due to them being of my creation.

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"But if you refuse, you'll be condemned-!"

"I find that as a sufferable fate."

"How could you say such a thing?"

The expression etched into his handsome features was uncanny, yet still, his carelessness seemed to drive the bubbling shinigami to ends in which only Urameshi Yusuke could only dare to attempt. Her lips pulled into a serious pout, temporarily losing her childishness as she stared intently at the stubborn youth. "Why is it that you would rather attend to such an unbearable loneliness instead of being able to finally find peace and happiness?" Her voice quivered lightly as she crossed her arms before her, trying hard to understand the melancholy attitude presented before her.

"Beg my pardon, but you of all people shouldn't be speaking to me in such a way."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

The brunette's lips pulled into a frown as his bright eyes stared down upon the blue haired woman, almost seeming as if he were trying to sympathize with her in his own way. "You are a shinigami are you not? Guiding the restless souls to their specified area, such a lonely, depressing job that would be for someone of your persona, for you're atypical of death. However, I'm in love with someone, and I simply cannot leave them behind."

Botan was lightly taken aback by his statement, tapping her temple wearily at his words. She certainly did not have the time or the will to ask about his sudden passing of judgment upon her, but still, it would be something that she would ponder heavily upon in a later time. "Regardless of how I may be perceived or why you're resisting, lingering may seem like a good idea while the one you love is alive, but what happens when they too pass? Your choice will not allow you to simply rewrite the consequences that you'll pay if you voluntarily try to escape judgment. Please-"

"It's not a matter of that. I said that I was _**in**_ love with someone, not that I loved them."

Botan gave him a quizzical look, and he simply gave a sigh in response. "It would be a waste for me to speak of such, for you obliviously do not know the difference between the many acts of love," His statement seemingly set the woman in a strangely foul mood as she suddenly became impatient with him, "but regardless, I cannot go with you. The one that I love may be alive and well, but the one that I am in love with is wandering aimlessly, waiting for me. I cannot leave her behind as she did not leave me behind, so I will share her fate of damnation, and there is nothing more that you can say."

Once more, Botan's lips rose in objection, but the warmth of his large hands silenced her as they gently cradled her face. He gave her a tepid smile, melting away the light dab of disdain she had acquired for him during their small intervention. "I know you don't understand, and for that I apologize, but when you're in love –there is no waiting. If one dies, then the other must also, that has become a rule. She passed last night in a car accident, and considering I no longer had a reason to live, I gave myself enough time to say goodbye to those I loved before I too died.

"She gave up an eternity of bliss to stay by my side, so I too will do the same for her. Such an insufferable fate, as you so called it, will become sufferable because we will be together."

He removed both his stare and his hands, finding that he suddenly became overcome by a sensation of the life that he had lost twice before. "I'm sorry," He returned his attention to her, quietly lowering his voice, "but she's waiting for me, and I am only obligated to her. We won't allow you to be jeopardized because of our selfishness, but I refuse to accompany you." And with a shocking kiss to the tender of her forehead, the youth disappeared into the quiet mist of the rooftop.

To say that Botan was both baffled and caught between a tragic joy and an underlying worry was an understatement, the shinigami was rather riddled with emotions. She felt a migraine beginning to form, pressing her dainty hands to her temples as she began to rub them, letting her large, bellowing sleeves hover from the movement. What exactly was she to tell Koenma-sama when she returned to his office without the soul she was responsible for collecting? She let out a loud sigh as she gently tapped the top of her head with a balled fist.

"Ah, stupid Botan. Such a love fool you are."

Her voice had taken a quiet whine as she once again sighed in defeat. She really hadn't put up much of a fight to be honest, but only because the male just seemed so set upon the idea of love. She gave a childish pout as her eyes fluttered lightly, looking into the dark sky that was clouded over by the thick mist of the rain. It seemed rather silly for her to have fallen for such an act, but really the idea was so romantic that it made her feel so comforted despite the future talk that she would encounter with Koenma. She smiled, sometimes the most incredibly unbelievable feats were only capture by such an unpredictable force, but that simply made the world worth living.

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With barely a foot upon the scene of the event, small knees began to shiver beneath the soft of a pink kimono. The expression etched upon the face of the shinigami was indescribable as large eyes glassed over with fright and heart wrenching pain, she knew that the only things that she would find at this very point in time would be woes and brokenhearted moments. Already, the scent of death rose to her nose, making it scrunch as the light rise and fall of the wind acknowledged her deepest fears. Her friends had passed, and their souls simply lingered about as if waiting for her to ferry and guide them along to their designated paths. She breathed, trying to push aside the awkward silence that dared to overthrow her courage as she began to scout the area.

Her hearing was distracted by the loud pounding of her heart as vibrant peony eyes roamed around the isolated area unsure. Her body ached as her fingers nervously began to toy with one another, knowing that it seemed as if her nerves were shot more because of her anxiousness. She hadn't found any sign of peril thus far, which perhaps was a good thing, but not entirely knowing made her feel something stressed more so than relived. Had it not have been for Koenma's rather rigid disposition when he spoke to her earlier on she would have been a tad bit more relaxed, but that had not been the case at all. She could faintly recall the vividness of the memory, the way that the dark chocolate of his eyes were upon her as soon as she opened the door contrasted with the façade upon his older form.

It wasn't a wonder that something was terribly wrong when she was greeted with an adult Koenma, but she hadn't at first suspected that it had anything to deal with the likes of her companions. She hadn't even been able to let the prince utter a word before she was upon him, leaning dangerously over his desk with worrisome questions ruining her cheeriness that had only been present a mere two seconds before. There weren't sugar and candy cane lanes to sugarcoat the truth this time, and when he spoke, it was as if she were speaking to King Enma instead.

"Botan, something happened in the Hodikei Forest of Makai.."

That was all she needed to know before her legs sprung into action. She and Koenma had a special bond, one that went without words, much like what she shared with her smaller group of companions. She never needed explanations, but to keep up the conversation and the feeling of appreciation, she always allowed the teller to continue on with their stories or statements. Not this time, she was well aware that she was not capable of sitting still any longer than she could, she didn't have the time. The strong voice of Koenma called after her once she sprinted from his office and down the hallway, pushing unapologetically through the surprised workers lodged in the hallway. She hadn't a clue as to what Koenma was going to initially tell her, but she knew that when he was in her adult form and gave her such a glance, it was something terribly horrible.

That, and she was suppose to have accompanied Yusuke and the group to Hodikei before she decided to deal with the youth.

And that was how she ended up in some desolate area shrouded by dark wildlife and forces.

She paced herself, trying desperately to relax as she journeyed further into the clearing, having traveled for well over fifteen minutes and not spotted one thing out of place. Apparently, she had spoken too soon as her she heard the soft 'splush' sound of her sandal dipping lightly into a puddle. She peered down, almost having lost her nerve, and then realized that perhaps such hadn't been the best of ideas. Her heart sped up dramatically as she realized that the dark splatter was of blood, human blood no less, and treaded around her once she glanced to find the source. Now overcome with franticness, she began to pursue an outright run to where heavy sums of crimson rested, disturbingly connecting it as a path.

She could not make out the scenery as it blurred past her, nor anything that was outside of her own hazardous breathing and panicked heartbeats. She continued on deeper into the dark of the area, carelessly forgetting about her other senses as she was overcome with desperation and utter fright. Her friends were in trouble, had gone in over their heads, and she had been walking slowly like a domesticated kitten thrown into the wilderness! They could be in critical conditions, their lives ticking away with every precious second, and had she had been in her right mind –she'd have rushed about and found them by now. Guilt seemed to smother everything else as her head began to pound in pain, making her shutter unknowingly.

She had been so consumed with her thoughts that she failed to notice the sudden obstacle before her, stumbling over its massive frame before wildly being thrown to the ground. The impact put her into discomfort, and once she gathered herself, pain shot from her legs and through her spine. She gave out a low cry, rolling herself over swiftly to glance at the aggravating cause for her fall in the first place. Her body went into shock at the sight of a badly bruised body of Kuwabara Kazuma's. It took three minutes before she could react, instantly crying out as she struggled to flip over his body.

She pulled his head into her arms, trying to cradle him as she shook him lightly. He had a pulse, as faint as it was above all else, but he was alive. The orange 'abomination', as Botan often affectionately called it, was matted down to his face by mud and dried clumps of blood and who knows what else. He looked terrible, almost unrecognizable in the face as his jaw was shoved deeper into his skull and his cheeks swollen with blue and black inserts in the flesh. Botan could not help but acknowledge the tears that began to dribble down her cheeks and onto his face, shriveling slightly when she heard the most disturbing rumble rush his throat. It sounded as though he was choking on something, and as her fingers tried to soothe the linings of his neck, that something spurted from his lips in the vilest form ever created.

She shook strongly, trying to contain her sobs as she tried to calm herself, knowing that she would have to find the others before trying to succumb to her inner vulnerability. Grudgingly, she finally slid Kuwabara back to the ground, propping him carefully upon the bark of a nearby tree to make sure he wouldn't choke to death due to his body's position. She looked at him painfully, and quickly turned on her heel to sprint in her former direction. She had to find the others, there was a growing ache in her heart, and she needed confirmation. The strong aroma disgusted her as she furthered the forest, but soon she halted all together in distraught. In the center of her sight was the first person she had ever grown considerably close to, the first person that had ever questioned her never ending cheer and constant optimism, and the first and only person that she had ever passionately loved.

"Y-Yusuke?"

Her voice was cracked as it barely slipped from her lips, shivering like her body when her gaze had fallen upon the bare remnants of a body. Her steps were sluggish, her breath was absent, and then as if in a sudden rage, she sped with all of her might to him. He seemed so far away as she ran to him, that he was becoming a vanishing point with each step that she took, but still she made it to him. In one large moment of horror, she collapsed to his side, sweeping him up into her arms as her body unknowingly went into a seizure. "Y-Yu..Yusuke? Yusuke?" It seemed that the repetition had gone unnoticed by her brain as it refused to recognize her voice, astounding her insanity further than it had already progressed.

Beautiful eyes widened, splashed with the most outrageous levels of all gone wrong in the world. She was desperate, obsessively so as she searched for a pulse she knew was not there. Urameshi Yusuke was now nothing more than a dismembered corpse as she searched his visage for something to bare her tarnishing stability upon. She was greeted with garishly large eyes that dared to pop from their sockets and a jaw that seemed to barely be hanging on its hinges. Sharp fragments of a ribcage impaled the tender fingers that cradled the monstrosity that their owner had come to love, fidgeting as she began to convulse.

"Yusuke?! YUSUKE!"

Her voice was loud, bellowing around her in beastly echoes in a rasp that was due to the uncontrollable sobs that tried to exit her lungs at the same time. Large, bitter tears seemed relentless to beat the idea of the Nile River as they sucked away the moist of everything around the shinigami, clinging to the mutilated body of the reikai tentai before her. There was nothing left for her to mourn for physically, yet the skinned abdomen that was left was pulled into a shattering embrace. Botan cared not for the sheering pain of the sharp edges of a ribcage pulled apart embedding themselves into her own small frame, or the knowledge that his solid weight was now dispersed completely around her, leaving her with a one armed torso severed jaggedly, or for the sound of sizzling as her crocodile tears touched the somewhat charring flesh that clung sparsely upon the violated tissue and muscle left naked.

She had lost touch of reality, hearing her heart explode painfully as her bosom shifted lightly to cater to the explosion. She could not deal with the concept of his death despite her job description, especially in such a grotesquely gruesome way, feverishly holding onto him as her hand clutched clumps of hair that would remain glued sickeningly to her palms and nails until she washed them away. The world seemed nonexistent in that moment, like nothing had ever happened during her hundreds of years of existence before the present time and place. It was indescribable, the way that she felt, but that very thing could be said about the glimmering emerald orbs that watched her anguish unfold and corrupt everything around her.

In his wake, before the world became silent and calm, the last thing that he was to know was that he had been forgotten about for the likes of another by the only woman he'd ever love.

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**Ending Note:** So, that's the first chapter, or basically the prologue to the story. It'll get set in motion in the next chapter if it's confusing. XD Gawd, I hope you guys like it! Anyway, please review it, I'd absolutely love feedback and critics, even if it's negative. Constructive, of course, but if you can give me a good reason for being extremely rude, then hey. Go for it. XD


	2. Ultimatum

**_Note:_** So, this is my first attempt to make something, and it's of course Kurotan, or Botan x Kurama. I do not own Yuu Yuu or any of it's characters because if I did, well I'd simply have drawn Kurotan and made millions. I do have the rights to the plot, any original characters, and the story due to them being of my creation.

Thanks for the reviews, and I'm so sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll try to be quick to get the next chapter up, then the fun will really start!

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The second funeral for Urameshi Yusuke would be his last, there was no returning after showing some selfless act, no way of simply waking up in time before his casket was closed and buried six feet under. There was no way to steal his soul and ferry it back to its rightful place, and there was certainly no way to speak to him ever again. That was the gospel that Botan had been given when she approached Koenma the day of Yusuke's burial, an event in which she had refused to attended because she felt someway, somehow she could right this wrong. She pleaded, disbelieved, begged, cried, everything she possibly could, but still the answer remained the same.

He was gone, and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

Yukina had told her that it had been basically closed casket, for the Reikai embalmers could only do so much for the body, and that Yukimura Keiko had sat there five hours after it had ended. She said that whenever Keiko was approached, she would simply say she was waiting for Yusuke to just appear and say something crazy to her. That she simply felt like it was a repeat of what happened those four years ago, and that if she simply gave it some time, he'd come back and things would return to normal. Of course, that wasn't the case, and after those five hours had passed, Keiko had simply broken down into fits of sobbing and anger. All Botan could do was take deep breaths with the information, how was she ever to approach Keiko again?

Sullen eyes stared blankly at the dark swarming around her room as she curled herself into a ball over her sheets, finding that her head was pounding so horribly that she was close to another shift of tears. Or rather, if she hadn't been rung dry, it had been a week since Yusuke's death and a day since his burial, and all she had done was mourn and hope relentlessly. As optimistic as she had been in her misery, neither the mourning nor the hoping had brought any good news, and she instead simply thought it best to put up her happy face. It was what was expected of her, after all, she was suppose to be the overly chirp of joy even in the tragedy of things, and she apparently didn't have the right to be so devastated about it. She frowned lightly about that, huffing to herself at Koenma's words.

'_**Obviously**_,' he had said, '_**you should be more nurturing of Keiko's pain**_.'

She gave a rude roll of her eyes but quickly reprimanded herself for it, she knew Keiko was hurting and that she perhaps should have been by her side, but she had the right to have her own moments. She was always there for everyone else, always that reliable packet of sunshine, and never once was she allowed to frown while everyone else was doing it. It was troublesome and unfair, but she had to admit that it was partially her fault for allowing everyone around her to have no reason to doubt their expectations. But still, even if no one else was aware of her and Yusuke's feelings for one another, shouldn't she at least be granted to mourn for him due to their relationship as Reikai Tentei and Case Manager? Or even as close friends, which they arguably were to a degree that even Kuwabara sometimes found as a threat?

Wasn't she allowed to show such vulnerability too, for him?

"**Paging Botan, please come to Prince Koenma's office. Thank you**."

'_Great_.' She thought with a light roll of her eyes, now it was time to put on her happy face.

The travel from her room to the toddler's office was too short for comfort, but when she entered the room she had a pleasant expression set in stone upon her face. "You wanted to see me Koenma-san?" Her voice was sing song as she clasped her fingers behind her, tilting her head to the side lightly in question. The prince of Reikai swiveled in his chair to reveal his teenaged form, and opened brown eyes to peer at the shinigami. He remained quiet for a bit, eyeing her intently and unknowingly making the woman squirm inwardly. It seemed sure enough that there was more bad news on its way, and Botan really wasn't sure if she could handle it.

"Yes, well," The sound of his voice put her at ease, "there was actually something I'd like to request of you. In recent events, I think it's only fit for you to take a leave of absence." Botan's lashes fluttered in surprise, but before she could speak the prince placed a hand out to silence her. "However, this can only be so if you fulfill certain circumstances." Botan's eyebrow rose in suspicion, there was always a catch with Koenma. Always, and they weren't ever really too much in her favor. He decided to once again take a long, unnecessary pause, and clearly the blue haired shinigami was becoming impatient.

"Please, just tell me."

Apparently that same impatience caught the male off guard as he blinked for a moment as he eyed her, trying to confirm that she had actually spoken out against his contemplation. He coughed, regaining his composure. "You see, during the…," He paused to find words that wouldn't upset either himself or his prized shinigami before him, "happening, the surviving members were taken to the hospital-" She blinked, cutting him off lightly as she suppressed the urge to cough up a sob at the memory, "Members? I thought Hiei was in Makai with Murko-"

"He was." He gave her a hard stare at her interruption, and then had a sudden realization of something, "Are you telling me that you were unaware that Kurama was also there Botan?"

Her lips open and then closed like those of a fish in response, clearly showing that she hadn't even the faintest idea. She quietly stepped away from her position in front of his desk and stumbled back into a lounge chair. She hadn't seen Kurama during that whole time, had she so easily looked past him while she was running about? Did she somehow ignore him, and perhaps his vocal pleas? She began to cough uncontrollably as her body shivered, grabbing her shoulders as she felt her eyes struggle to spring out any moisture left in her body for Kurama's sake.

"No, Botan! No, he's fine!"

The voice of Koenma steadied her as she suddenly felt soft eyes digging into her, making her look up carefully. "He was injured pretty badly, but ultimately he'll live." Koemna sighed heavily, content that he was able to stop the girl's breakdown, "The problem is, during his injuries he somehow went into a lapse of control. His brain was damaged, not that he has amnesia or anything, but it's tampered with him somehow." He looked at Botan to see if she was paying him any mind, noticing that she had a quizzical stare pitifully etched into her pale face.

"I don't understand?"

"Kurama may be dying."

"WHAT?!"

Surprisingly, she didn't break down into crying and instead was now dangerously close to snatching the prince from his seat. "You just told me he was fine!" Her voice was as fearsome as her face, a fact in which Koenma wished he really wasn't able to agree upon. "Woah, calm down! I said he may be dying, not that he's dead! Let me explain!" To think that the prince of Reikai was momentarily afraid for his life and resorting to a begging tone of voice was laughable, but clearly he wasn't quite in a position to do such a thing. With a low huff, Botan released him, rubbing her temples wearily as she realized her sudden aggression towards her employer.

"I'm..so sorry Koenma-san, I just-"

"It's okay, I'm not blaming you." He gave her a reassuring glance as she slowly took her seat once more. "Kurama's physical wounds have been healed for the most part, but his internal wounds –his mind in this case- is taking a tad bit longer. Youko has been spontaneously taking control over the body, and I'm afraid that if Youko does in fact take over, the realms might actually be in a lot of trouble. Having spoken with Kurama while he was present, he said that he would need time to mend the damages himself, but couldn't exactly guarantee his success or his ability to keep Youko from reeking havoc. And that's where you come in."

Botan blinked and pointed towards herself. "Me?"

"Yes, you." Koemna cracked a small smile as he folded his arms before him, "You were one of the closest to him besides Hiei, and though Hiei did say he'd stop in from time to time, I'd rather not have him constantly around Kurama. There's…something about him that's telling me he wouldn't be a suitable babysitter and whatnot. That's why I'd like you to do it." He placed his chin between his hands as he gave her a darling look, making her shift her eyes suspiciously at him. There was another catch to this catch, she was sure of it.

"Uh huh, and what's the other catch to this 'break' I'm receiving?"

"Catch? Why, I'd never-"

She gave him a strange look, and quickly he smiled and gave a nervous laugh.

"Well along with having to live with him and try to help him along with his progress, you'll also be stuck with him twenty-four seven. That means, where ever he goes, so to you –and vice versa."

"Uh huh. But if he becomes Youko, can't he just, I don't know, eat me and then cause havoc anyway?"

"Well, yes-"

"WHAT?!"

"-But that's why I have found a loophole!"

Botan eyed him suspiciously once more, finding that she was becoming increasingly tired of his inserts running her around. It felt like she was on some sort of faulty rollercoaster, being thrust in a loop, stuck for about an hour, and then told that once it got moving she'd plummet to her death! And then, once she was about to have the impending heart attack, some amused announcer would say April Fools or some other cruel nonsense like that. She sighed loudly, placing her head in her hands considering she couldn't take staring into the giddy face of Koenma any longer. She sighed again, "What loophole is that Koenma-san?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, the only way to assure that Youko will not run rampant would be to try to domesticate him, like you would a kitten or a puppy."

"…Are you asking me to try to tame a dangerous, notorious, womanizing kitsune?"

'_And that's putting it extremely lightly_.' She thought sarcastically to herself.

"Bingo!" He said as he mocked her normal catchphrase. Her head shot up rather swiftly as she gave him an incriminating look, not at all happy with the gesture. "Wait! Before you strangle me, I'm merely saying give it a chance! He'll listen to you!" Botan certainly was not reassured, especially now that it seemed like she was expected to play some sort of lion tamer. She grew strangely silent, a fact that Koenma wasn't too sure he liked, but when she bowed her head seemingly in defeat, he held a victorious grin.

"Good girl, now it won't be all that bad, maybe just a month or twelve-!"

"TWELVE?!"

And so, after being forcibly ripped off of the poor, unconscious Koenma, Botan found herself standing before her new home for who knows how long. Clearly she was rather ready to jump the gun and run, but considering this was her only chance to keep to herself without interference, and the fact that she was guilty for not having even notice Kurama in Hodikei Forest, she decided against it. Nodding her head and scourging up her courage, she stepped forward to turn the knob of her shared home with Kurama.

Of course, her plan was immediately thwarted when it instead opened on its own.

"**Hm, took you long enough**."

Okay, so maybe the idea of running wasn't shot just yet..

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Dundundun! So now our favorite shinigami is stuck in a home with Kurama/Youko Kurama! What kind of fate awaits her?! Find out in the next chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

**_Note:_** So, this is my first attempt to make something, and it's of course Kurotan, or Botan x Kurama. I do not own Yuu Yuu or any of it's characters because if I did, well I'd simply have drawn Kurotan and made millions. I do have the rights to the plot, any original characters, and the story due to them being of my creation.

I haven't updated in forever, and I am sooooo sorry for that! I swear I'll be better about updating, really!

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Let it be known that the shinigami had in fact made an effort to turn tail and run, however the idea just simply wasn't able to make it past her brain once the firm hands snatched her through the doorway. To say she heard her heart stop thrice in those five seconds it took from her start on point A to her current end on point B would be an understatement, for even now her throat was desperately trying to get air into her lungs. She felt dizzy, and her head was pounding loudly enough so that she wasn't even aware of the fact that she had slid against the door to keep herself standing. Still, with a few blinks and reassurance that she was at least in one piece for the time being, her vision began to settle and the dimly lit corridor greeted her quietly. Of course after remembering what else was lurking in said corridor, she swiftly looked around, clutching the doorknob behind her which she strangely found incredibly silky and…_soft_.

"Wait, _what_?"

"_My_, such **greedy** fingers."

The dark husk of a voice was breathe into her ear, scratching at the tenderness of it's flesh, startling her in such a way that she stumbled forward and barely caught herself enough to turn and peer behind her. Her heart slowed as she traced the crimson bangs cupping the handsomeness of a familiar face, heaving lightly and shaming herself for her jumpiness. She allowed a goofy grin to tug at her features, knowing that she had certainly played the fool, but comfortable with the fact that she was able to be in the presence of Kurama. Or rather, she was comfortable to a certain extent, regardless of it all, the hairs resting on the nape of her neck were still bristled, and the tiny voice of her subconscious was still telling her to find refugee elsewhere. She merely shook her head, patting her temples in reassurance as she immediately sprang towards the kitsune, finding a starch happiness erupting within her. Starch because she truly wasn't exactly over the strum of events that had weighed upon her shoulders in a mere week, and now that she was dealing with an issue she had directly caused didn't help the guilt already piled high.

"You startled me Kurama!"

Yet still, when she closed in, she stopped sharply once she caught the glint of something she was most certain wasn't suppose to be there; piercing golden eyes. "…._Oh_." And without the whimper having time to register, she was already turned on her heel making pace down the corridor to wherever she felt could buy her some time to get her the hell out of the house considering the door had been blocked by the body of a fearsome, notorious thief. She was well aware that he was on her trail, leisurely walking as she sprang around a few corners, only giving a few glances through the blurs while trying to find some sort of room with a door. Of course, when she finally spotted a door lazily open, she felt the looming shadow upon her and frighteningly stumbled into the room while trying to slam the door closed for the life of her.

Fruitlessly she tried, but before she could bat a lash and regain her composition she was thrown harshly into an otherwise extraordinarily soft bedding, pinned painfully by the mere intimidation of the kitsune without the acknowledgement of the garish hold he held upon the wrists locked above her head and around the slender of her neck.

It was just her luck that out of all the things that had occurred, she would be greeted by the likes of Youko and then miserably, and seemingly, raped and killed -and not even particularly in that order. He made no move to speak, but even with her eyes finally catching up to the events that had taken place in two short minutes, she was able to see her mistake clearly. Spilling around the tanned chisel of his attractiveness were crimson locks, much wilder in style and longer in length than she was certain, but nonetheless they retained their characteristic mirth well. Her eyes then drank him in, noting that the outer shell was likened more to the Kurama whose indifference was a charming as his chivalry, but the usual mesmerizing jades were splashed with an undomesticated gold, reflecting the amusement and sick contemplations of ideas she'd much rather have no thought of. He retained his human appearance of Minamoto Shuichi, but with a mere glance at the eyes would reveal apparently who was who.

It was a shame she hadn't noticed it sooner, not that it would have helped her any.

"I suppose I should be more cordial to the one that has found a way to relinquish my exile," His voice was dark and low as his eyes lowered, tasting her anxiety and pent up tempests with merely her sight alone, "but I am not one to be thought of as cordial." Despite her approaching death, the blanketed numbness upon her allowed her eyes to roll at his chide, finding that somehow it no longer mattered in the end. What was death truly to a shinigami? To a lover left in utter solitude and asphyxiation? To an imaginary figment personified by a masquerade never-ending? Lost within her own overwhelming abyss, Botan could not help but irrelevantly wonder exactly what was it that she was so afraid of, hadn't she _already_ lost **everything**?

Apparently, Youko could not help but notice her lax, dispassionate disposition, and although he weighed down upon her and began to cut off the circulation of blood to her hands and air to her neck, her eyes remained as hollow and glassy as a doll's. He most certainly was not satisfied, but his hunger for violence was too demanding for him to lose interest in her so fast. His fingers began to dig, feeling the flesh of her neck whine in agony as the bruising of purple and blue began to threaten to become permanent, finding the rhythm of her heart beat becoming as sloth as the liveliness within her eyes, yet still he pressed on. Time was of the essence, a fact he most certainly became aware of after his decade's worth of miscalculations, and he was certain that the spastic switching of personas could save the pathetic creature's life if he weren't hastier in his killing. Yet as he was certain she was close, there was a sudden eruption of pain jolting through his very spine, throwing him off kilter as his reflexes shot him into a defensive standing position. His eyes rattled about to find out the source of such an ominous feeling he most certainly was not accustom to, but he only found the presence of nothing more than himself and his prey.

His eyes began to flicker as electricity blanketed his brain, forcing his breathing to grow haggard as his fingers numbly began to lose their hold upon the still deity. His shoulders slumped dramatically as his vision began to blur, flooding with an immensely bright light that ultimately discolored everything fragmented in image and unnerved him so greatly that he in turn stumbled back from his dominant position over the other. His legs easily became entangled, but with the growing distance between the yokai and the deity, he could not help but notice the immediate subsiding of the pain that had only mere moments ago seemed to promise some sort of agonizing death. Slightly regaining his composure and senses, his eyes narrowed with swift realization, teeth bearing with a frightening snarl.

"What sort of witchery is this?!" His menacing bellow seemed to snap Botan from her temporary ravine, updating her on the facts that she had otherwise missed. Her lashes fluttered with recollection, and instantly she drew herself onto the bed, readying herself as her eyes flickered at the bristling yokai some feet before her. She winced with the throaty growl that boomed from his lips, unsure of his sudden change of character and shift in predicament, but apparently whatever it was –she had no true reason to question it. "What have you done?" His voice was commanding, dark in timbre as if the dark of his shadow had blessed his vocals. As if to reinforce his clear order, he took a step forward, feeling the reigniting of the earlier electric charge sparking at his temples. "Fix. It."

In all honesty, she really wasn't sure of what the yokai was talking about, but with her observation she was beginning to catch on. She was still shaken from the idea of being a small distance away from a notorious murderer above all things, but considering that she was still alive and with all of her dignity attached for whatever blessed reason, her courage slowly began to return to formulate words. And then finally, she was able to grace his glare with a response, "As if!" And so, after having worked up the courage to finally speak, it seemed her tongue still couldn't help but undermine the miracle known as life.

Astounding.

* * *

I wonder how many of you all can guess exactly what Koenma's catch was? Find out in-depth in the next chapter!


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